Life history

Life history of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
Long-term ecological studies that follow an entire population through multiple generations are powerful tools for understanding ecological and evolutionary processes. We followed a population of male smallmouth bass through multiple generations in a research lake in northern Wisconsin. Each year we used snorkeling and SCUBA to catch all breeding males in the population and collected data on their age, weight, length, and reproductive success. We also quantified characteristics of their nest, including information on substrate and temperature. All reproducing males in the populations are individually tagged, allowing us to follow males from year to year. We are currently analyzing our multi-year dataset to ask questions about life history decisions and their fitness implications.  This project is run by Dr. Daniel Wiegmann of Bowling Green State University, Dr. Jeffrey Baylis of the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Lisa Angeloni of Colorado State University, and Steven P. Newman at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. More information about this project can be found here.